Chemical Engineers turn new advances in chemistry, materials science, and biology into large scale practical realities in the everyday world. They are in the forefront in many areas of current technology, including genetic engineering, the development of artificial organs, the creation of alternate sources of power, protection of the environment, and the development of superconducting materials. Chemical Engineers ensure the efficient operation of industrial plants and create new Chemical processes in a continual effort to get the most from our limited supply of natural resources.
AREA OF EMPHASIS AT DELAWARE
The Department of Chemical Engineering carries out an active research program which affords students access to the latest investigations and discoveries in the applied chemical and physical sciences. Current research efforts cover the full spectrum from very fundamental engineering science to more applied engineering technology. The following are examples of ongoing efforts within the Department: Biochemical and Biomedical Engineering. Research includes the manipulation of organisms important to the biochemistry of fermentation, studies of biochemical pathways in cancer cells, biodegradation of polymers, development of artificial tissues and organs, properties and purification of biological fluids, protein production, and the study of the effects of environmental factors on protein activities. Catalysis, Surface Science, and Chemical Reaction Engineering. The Department’s Center for Catalytic Science and Technology provides an intensive focus on the rapidly developing field of catalysis. Catalysts are agents that induce a change in the rate of a chemical reaction while themselves remaining unchained by the reaction. Products made by processes involving catalyst account for more than one-quarter of the U.S. Gross National Product. Research also involves the production of alternate freons and biomass, coal, and petroleum conversion. Electronic Materials Processing. Research includes the development of semiconductors for Photovoltaic and other electronic device applications, chemical vapor deposition for the production of advanced electronic materials with semiconductor applications, and fundamental research in the chemical synthesis of high temperature superconductors. Expert Systems and Process Control. Research in this area involves the application of expert systems and artificial intelligence methodology to fault diagnosis and control in chemical production and process simulation. Polymer Science and Engineering and Fluid Mechanics. Research includes the study of fabrication operations such as polymer extrusion and injection molding, detailed numerical analysis of the complex flow of composite materials during manufacture, flow properties of polymeric liquid crystals, the flow of highly concentrated ceramic suspensions, and the new techniques for the control of the flow of ceramic pastes and the orientation of any suspended fibers. Thermodynamics and Phase Equilibria. Thermodynamics is at the center of chemical engineering practice. Most separation processes are based on the thermodynamic properties of mixtures, and separations and purifications account for between 70 to 90 percent of the energy costs at many chemical plants. The Department’s Center for Molecular and Engineering Thermodynamics provides a focus for the experimental and theoretical studies of the thermodynamics of the phase behavior of complex fluids, polymeric materials and proteins, high temperature aqueous solutions and biological compounds in water, molecular simulations, and the chemistry of environmental problems.
